With the Buccaneers' receiving corps suffering their fair share of injuries last year and early in the season this year, one unlikely veteran has stepped in a big way. That veteran is Sterling Shepard, who already has 191 yards and a touchdown this season.
It's been a long time since Shepard caught eight touchdown passes as a rookie in 2016. In the first five years of his career, he was a reliable target in New York. However, injuries caught up to Shepard, and the Giants essentially benched him. In 2021 and 2022, he was limited to just 10 games and eight starts. However, in 2023, he played in 15 games, but only made two starts, catching 10 passes for 57 yards and one touchdown.
The Giants moved on, and Tampa Bay scooped him up last year. In 2024, Shepard caught 51 passes, his most since 2021. His 334 yards were also his most since 2021.
This year, the 32-year-old is having an even better season. He's on pace to go for over 600 receiving yards and over 50 receptions, which would be his best season since 2020. He is playing a valuable role in Tampa Bay's offense, giving Baker Mayfield a reliable veteran to target on the field. With Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both dealing with early injuries, Shepard's presence has been extremely valuable.
It has Giants fans wondering how their team was unable to utilize him, and why they let him out the door.
Dan Benton, writing for Giants Wire, had this to say.
"Around the league, former Giants castoffs are thriving. From quarterback Daniel Jones to wide receiver Sterling Shepard, players once blamed for Big Blue's failures are suddenly producing for winning teams," wrote Benton.
Is that a knock on Giants GM Joe Schoen for his bad decision-making, or a credit to the Buccaneers' organization for finding diamonds in the rough? Probably both. Shepard is playing well in Tampa Bay, and it's good news for the Bucs because they have needed it.
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